This invention relates to a terminal retaining construction of a press-connecting connector, and more particularly to a terminal retaining construction of a press-connecting connector in which press-connecting blades are formed by stamping on side walls of a press-connecting terminal to thereby form windows respectively through these side walls, and these windows serve as retaining portions for retaining engagement with a housing.
There is known a press-connecting connector which is compact in size, and has an improved wire-holding ability, and enables the automatic mounting of terminals. Such a connector will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. The press-connecting connector 1 comprises a housing 2, press-connecting terminals 4 received respectively in terminal receiving chambers 3 in the housing 2, and a cover 5 for covering the housing 2. Projected terminal retaining portions 3a are formed respectively on opposite side walls of each terminal receiving chamber 3 in the housing 2, and slits 4b and 4b, formed respectively in opposite side edges of a bottom plate portion 4a of the press-connecting terminal 4, are retainingly engaged with the terminal retaining portions 3a and 3a, respectively. A pair of press-connecting blades 4c and 4c, formed by bending, are disposed adjacent to each of the slits 4b and 4b in the press-connecting terminal 4. As shown in FIG. 2, a sheathed wire 7 is pressed against the two pairs of press-connecting blades 4c by a press-connecting jig 6, and an insulating sheath 8 of the sheathed wire 7 is cut by the two pairs of press-connecting blades 4c, so that a conductor 9 of the sheathed wire 7 is press-connected to the two pairs of press-connecting blades 4c.
However, in the terminal retaining construction of the above conventional press-connecting connector 1, the pair of press-connecting blades 4c are formed near to each of slits 4b formed in the bottom plate portion 4a of the press-connecting terminal 4, and therefore a shearing area at this portion is small, and besides that portion of the press-connecting terminal 4, disposed between that portion where the press-connecting blades 4c are formed and a tubular contact portion 4d of a square cross-section for contact with a mating terminal, has a reduced strength, and therefore the press-connecting terminal 4 is liable to be deformed upon application of an external force.